


Thieving Hearts

by Catch358



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games), Persona 5
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Awkward Romance, Crime Scenes, Crimes & Criminals, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, It's gonna be a lot so, Multi, Slice of Life, get ready
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-14 05:41:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28665648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Catch358/pseuds/Catch358
Summary: Following the events of kh3, Kairi and Naminé set out to find Sora using the gummiship. However, their search goes horribly wrong and they end up in the streets of Shibuya City where the mysterious 'Phantom Thieves of Hearts' resides. What will become of the girls in a world of hearts and thieves? Will they find Sora and possibly find some love along the way or will they lose their hearts trying?
Comments: 7
Kudos: 9





	1. When He Was Here

It was a typical day at Destiny Islands like any other. Kairi and Naminé were walking back from the store with bags of food in their hands, chatting away as they headed home.

"I seriously can't wait for dinner tonight! You think Riku will be back in time for it?" Naminé asked.

"Uh, not sure." Kairi took out her gummiphone, checking Riku's messages. "...Oh. Says he won't be back 'till late."

"Aw, that's too bad. Can't promise there won't be any leftovers for him~"

She smiled. "You're still excited about my cooking after last week's disaster?"

"How could I not be? I'm just happy I get to try new things!"

"Thanks...and I'm glad you decided to stay here with me. I don't think I've ever properly thanked you for that."

She waved her hand dismissively as her cheeks began to flush. "You don't have to thank me! I know how it feels to be isolated ...so I'll be here for you no matter what!"

Kairi locked arms with her. "Same goes for you! There's no way I'll ever let you out of my sight!"

"That kind of sounds like a threat..."

"Maybe that was poorly worded, but you know what I meant!"

Naminé chuckled. "That you'll be stalking me from now on? Good luck with that, you know how many times people have failed to track me down before?"

"Let's see, I already know where you live and go to school at it so it shouldn't be that hard."

"Hee hee, that's true."

The girls laughed together, but it only briefly alleviated the overwhelming sadness in Kairi's heart. As they walked to the top of the hill that overlooked the entire town, she stared at the small island where she, Riku and Sora used to play together as kids. Ever since Sora disappeared, she made another promise to herself that she wouldn't step foot on its sandy shores until she could reunite with him again.

Knowing that melancholic look in Kairi's eye all too well, Naminé gave her hand a tight squeeze. "He'll be back soon."

"I know...I just wish I was out there looking for him. Like he's always done for me."

When they made it back to the mayor's house, Kairi went straight to work on whipping up dinner for everyone. There was hardly any leftovers by the end of it, which she took as a resounding success, then they all retired for the night.

However, Kairi just couldn't close her eyes for the life of her. It didn't help that there was school tomorrow so she should've been fast asleep by now, but she kept on thinking about Sora and where among the many worlds he could possibly be.

' _All I've been doing is standing around and waiting for him to come back to me. I can't sit around like this anymore. I need to find him no matter where it takes me.'_ She looked out of her window that had a perfect view of the small island. ' _And I think I know how to do it.'_

Kairi quietly gathered a backpack of her belongings, careful not to wake Naminé up, then snuck out of the house. She was on her way to the small boat that took them from island to island when she heard a voice from behind her.

"—Don't tell me you're going without me!"

She turned back to see Naminé with a worried look on her face. "Naminé...I'm sorry, I didn't want to drag you into this."

She shook her head. "What happened to you not letting me out of your sight? There's no way I'm letting you do this alone, we'll go together!" There was no talking Naminé down either, she boarded the boat so Kairi had no choice but to row them both to the other island.

"Kairi...you have the look on your face. You're not going to do something reckless, are you?" Naminé asked.

"Uh, kind of. I'm taking the gummiship and flying out to find Sora."

"The gummiship?"

"Mm hm, Riku left it on the island. I saw it out of my window."

"So you're just going to steal it...Do you even know how to use one?"

"Can't be that hard if Sora can use it!"

"Ehh if you say so."

Once they reached the island, Kairi used her keyblade to unlock the door and they ran inside. The interior lit up with about a million buttons and contraptions.

"I don't know Kairi, this is starting to feel wrong. Maybe we should tell Riku," Naminé said.

"No way, he's just gonna talk me out of it, I need to do this now before I change my mind! And I'll make sure to bring it back before he even notices it's gone!"

"You do seem pretty happy...okay, let's do it! Controlling this thing might be pretty complicated though, you think there's a manual somewhere?"

"No idea, but I don't think we'll need it." Kairi pointed her keyblade at the shield. "Let's take off and find Sora!"

Sure enough, the gummiship reacted with her keyblade and it lifted off into the sky. All the stars they were so used to seeing twinkle at night soon transformed into entire worlds right before their eyes.

Naminé pressed her hands on the shield and all the worry was swept away by her excitement. "Wow! No matter how many times I see space it never gets old!"

"I know, it's beautiful. And I know Sora has to be out there somewhere."

She nodded. "For sure!"

For a while, it was smooth sailing until they were surrounded by an army of space heartless. "This is bad! We need to take these guys out!" Kairi rushed over to the control panel and in a panic, she haphazardly keysmashed the buttons. The gummiship did everything from violently twisting around to deploying a second shield, but by the time Kairi got the hang of the controls, they were already under heavy fire.

"K-Kairi, do you know what-" Naminé choked on her words as the ship underwent another dodge roll. "Ughh...I think I'm gonna be sick..."

"I'm sorry, I'm trying to defeat these guys as fast as I can! Why is this so hard?!"

Red lights started blaring inside the ship.

EMERGENCY: GUMMISHIP AT 10 PERCENT HEALTH

"Oh no! Come on, work you stupid thing!" Out of sheer frustration, Kairi slammed her fists on the control panel and ended up breaking it. "Oh my gosh..." She slapped her hands over her mouth.

"Wha..,What happened?" Naminé saw the black smoke that was pouring out of the control panel. "Kairi- what did you do?!"

"It's okay! I think I can still fix this!"

EMERGENCY: EVACUATE GUMMISHIP IMMEDIATELY - ALL SYSTEMS DOWN

"Or maybe not!"

REPEAT: EVACUATE GUMMISHIP IMMEDIATELY - ALL SYSTEM DOWN

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

* * *

After their disastrous gummiship ride, they weren't exactly expecting to wake up in a bustling city of all places. Kairi and Naminé had somehow found themselves right in the middle of Shibuya City, as well as in the center of everyone's attention.

"-Where'd those two girls come from?"

"-And what's with that weird get up, are they cosplayers or something?"

"-Probably got lost on their way to Akihabara."

Kairi and Naminé exchanged worried glances while they helped each other up.

"This is a new world," Naminé said.

"Yeah...no kidding. How are we even gonna find our way around here, let alone look for Sora? It's so big and there's sooo many people!"

"I know, it's kind of overwhelming. Let's just walk around and see what information we can find."

The girls ventured around, absorbed by all of the sights the massive city had to offer. However, one thing that caught their eyes in particular was the 'Take Your Heart' slogan that was plastered across a couple of merchandise stores, accompanied by talk of the elusive 'Phantom Thieves of Heart'.

Kairi managed to get her hands on a torn poster with its iconic logo spread across it. "'Take Your Heart' huh? Apparently they're some kind of group, you think they take hearts like a heartless would?"

"I'm pretty sure there would be a lot more heartless around if that were the case."

"—Hey! You two girls over there! What're you two doing out of school?!"

Kairi put her arm over Naminé. "This could be trouble!"

An angry police officer marched over to them. "What's this? You don't even have your school uniforms on? So you were fully intending on skipping the whole day, were you?!"

"What're you talking about? We don't go to school here so stop bothering us!"

"Don't play dumb with me! You sure got the look of a delinquent with all those bright colors you're wearing. I bet you're one of those Shujin Academy brats, they seem to be getting a lot of attention lately."

"A delinquent?!"

"-Um, yes we do go to Shujin Academy!" Naminé cut in. "W-We were just really stressed about a test and wanted to avoid school for the day. I'm sorry if we caused you any trouble, we'll head back to class."

His angry face softened up a little. "I understand. Believe it or not I used to be a student as well, but kids like you should go to school so you can contribute to society. How about I escort you girls to class, eh?"

"That would be wonderful! Thank you so much, officer!"

"Hmph, you know your redhead friend here can learn a thing or two from a nice girl like yourself."

"You just caught her on a bad day, that's all."

" _He's_ about to have a bad day," Kairi said under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!" Naminé said.

"Come on then, hop inside my cruiser. Aoyama-Itchome is a little ways from this part of Shibuya."

The girls went inside the officer's car, not the preferred mode of transportation, but Naminé was as excited as ever. "It's like we're in one of those crime TV shows, right? This is so cool!"

Kairi gave her a wry smile. "That's...one way to look at it."

"By the way officer, there's a lot of talk about these 'Phantom Thieves of Hearts', what do you know about them?" Naminé asked.

"Ehh they're all the talk these days, but I still think they're just a bunch of troublemakers sticking their nose where it doesn't belong. Though that's not exactly the popular opinion these days so what do I know." He stopped just outside the gates of Shujin Academy. "In any case, here we are girls, I better not see you skipping class again. Have a good day at school now."

"We will, thank you officer!"

As soon as he left, Kairi turned to Naminé. "That guy was a total jerk. Where did he get off calling me a 'delinquent'?"

"Oh I agree, but I kind of like you as delinquent Kairi. It makes you sound more hardcore!"

She chuckled. "Everyone's gonna have to watch out for the delinquent girl in the pink cat-eared hoodie."

"Looks can be deceiving, but we should try to keep a low profile going forward to avoid any unwanted attention."

"Then it was a good call to go here, there's nothing more unassuming than a couple of high school students. We can gather intel on the Phantom Thieves from all the students and find some leads on Sora!"

"Yep. Now we just need to figure out how to enroll."

They went through the doors of Shujin Academy, high school wasn't any new territory for them so they found the principal's office without any issue.

Principal Kobayakawa was quietly typing away at this computer when Kairi and Naminé walked in. "Huh? What're you two doing here? You should be in class- and where are your uniforms?"

"Well...we were actually looking to get enrolled here," Kairi said.

"Oh? _More_ transfer students? As if one wasn't enough. Very well, why don't you bring your parents here and we can discuss our options."

"Our parents?"

"Or guardians if that's your situation."

"We're all we have...so please understand our circumstance," Naminé said.

"I see. Unfortunately, unless someone can arrange the proper documentation for you two, I'm afraid you won't be able to enroll in our school."

"Hold on-" Kairi pulled out her current student ID. "Here's an ID card from our last school, she has one on her too. We just got here, but I'll be able to find somewhere for us to stay by tonight so I can get a proof of whatever it's called by tomorrow."

"I suppose that's a start." He stroked his chin. "If you can provide a proof of residency. then I'll consider making some arrangements. Shujin Academy is currently going through...unprecedented times so we could use the boost in enrollment."

"Awesome! I'll get everything back to you tomorrow, hopefully we can start school by then! Thanks again!" Once they left his office, Kairi let out a huge sigh. "I can't believe we did it! I'm not excited about the school part, but at least we'll be able to blend in as students."

"You sure had a lot of confidence in front of the principal, but how are we going to find somewhere to stay exactly? It won't be an easy task."

"Aw, you worry too much Naminé. I brought some munny with me just in case so we should be set!"

"This world doesn't use munny. I noticed that their currency here is called Yen."

"—Excuse me, but shouldn't you girls be in class by now?"

"Here we go again."

This time it was a teacher who walked up to them. She was on the younger side with unkempt, dark brown hair and the most tired look they'd ever seen on a teacher's face. "Oh? I don't believe I've seen you two here before, new students?"

"Yep, we're in the process of getting enrolled right now," Kairi said.

"Is that so? Excuse me for asking this, but are you from around here? I don't mean to assume, you just don't typically see anyone around here with blue eyes if you know what I mean. Unless there's a new trend going on with the youth that I'm unaware of."

"No, we're actually from super far away, we just recently came here."

"Wow, so we have more foreign students then? How exciting and your Japanese is already really good so you shouldn't have any trouble adjusting here! By the way, are you two sisters? You both just look so similar to each other."

"That's a good cover..."

"Hm?"

She nodded. "I-I mean, yep we're sisters! I'm the oldest so I have to take care of both of us. You don't by chance know of any hotels nearby that accept outside money, do you?"

Her eyebrows furrowed. "Oh...so it's just you two then." She looked around the hallways to make sure no one else was around, then slipped Kairi some money. "It's not much, but that should help you get by, at least for a night or two. "

"Thank you, really, but there's no way I can take this from you. You don't have to worry, we'll manage on our own!"

"I insist. Kids like you shouldn't assume the role of adults while you're still so young. Cherish this time while you can."

There was a dead serious look on her face so Kairi took the money. "Uh- Th-Thank you so much for your kindness, ma'am!"

"Don't mention it and my name is Ms. Kawakami. I hope to see you girls in my class." With that, she disappeared down the long hallway.

"She was so kind to us, I feel bad for taking this money," Kairi said.

"It's not like we can go back home any time soon so we do need it. We'll just return the favor to her."

"Good idea! Let's head back to that big city we were just at- it was called Shibuya, right? We should be able to find a cheap hotel there."

"That officer said we needed to use the subway to get back there."

"Sounds like a plan. I'll leave figuring out what lines we need to take to you."

She giggled. "Alright, Kairi."

They left the academy and went to the subway station. Naminé successfully navigated through the underground labyrinth and they were on their way back to Shibuya. Unfortunately, their ride was abruptly put on pause.

**Attention all passengers: There will be a slight delay for the Ginza Line heading towards Shibuya City. We apologize for the inconvenience and are trying to resolve this problem as soon as possible.

"-Ugh are you serious? I'm gonna be late for work at this rate!"

"-You don't think it's another one of those mental shutdowns, do you?"

"I hope it's nothing serious," Naminé said.

All of a sudden, they heard a scratching at one of the windows, then a heartless peered inside. "They're here too? I bet they're what's delaying the subway." Kairi stood up, her keyblade forming in her hand.

"Be careful, Kairi."

"These guys should be no problem." As she ran down the subway carts, she received various comments from the passengers that were downright confusing.

"-Whoa, where did that girl get that bat from?"

"-Is she one of those delinquent girls?! As if we didn't have problems already."

' _Spiked bat? Don't they see this cute keyblade I have in my hands? Whatever, they can believe what they want.'_ She made it to the front where the subway conductors were busy trying to calm down the angry passengers.

"We're in contact with the police, but this will take some time. Please be patient with us and return to your seats!"

Kairi pushed her way through the crowd. "You don't have to call the police, I can fight the heartless!"

"They are certainly heartless people, but this is no job for a little girl. Return to your seat and wait on the police."

"Please let me through, I'm the only one who can stop them and I don't want anyone else to get hurt!"

"What're you going on about? Just please return to your seat already."

"Wha- you don't see all those monsters out there?"

"Monsters?" He shook his head dismissively. "I get it now. You're one of those teens who get strung up on drugs. I don't want to have to report you to the police."

"Ugh, forget this!" She forced her way outside to the tunnels and sure enough there were dozens of heartless crawling around. Luckily they were just a bunch of shadows so defeating them wasn't a problem. She triumphantly returned to the subway and was met with wide-eye stares and gaping mouths.

"D-Damn, that girl just took on all those thugs like they were nothing!" One of the passengers said.

"Yeah, she's a lot scarier than she looks."

"I got it all on camera too, this is gonna get so many likes!"

"Uh, thank you miss. I apologize for my previous behavior. I'll...overlook the weapon you brought since you did save everyone a headache," The subway conductor said.

"Sure...no problem." ' _Those heartless were right in front of them but it's like they saw something completely different. This is so weird.'_ When she came back to Naminé, they were once again the center of everyone's attention, making the rest of the way to Shibuya an uncomfortable ride.

"You saw those heartless too, right Naminé?" Kairi asked as they were leaving the station.

"Definitely, those were no doubt heartless."

"Then...there's way more going on with this world than we thought."

"If the residents here perceive the heartless as real people and your keyblade as a bat then things could get ugly. We better figure out what's going on soon."

They found themselves a decent looking hotel to stay at, it wasn't much, but it would help them get by while they were still stranded in a strange world.

Naminé plopped down on the bed. "It feels great to finally take a break! We've had such a long day. So how do you think Riku's gonna take the whole us stealing the gummiship thing and ending up here."

She groaned. "Don't even remind me. He's gonna be sooo mad! Oh... I'm sorry Naminé...it's all my fault we're in this mess anyway. If i'd just listen to you then we'd be back at home by now."

"Aw, don't beat yourself up over it... I haven't had an adventure like this in a while so who knows what'll happen! Maybe we'll even be the ones to find Sora!"

"You think so?"

"Well, I don't know for sure, but we'll make the most out of our time here!"

"Yeah, you're right! We're in a new world, it won't be so bad...right? We'll figure something out like we always do and have some fun while we're at it!"


	2. Day In and Day Out

When Kairi woke up, the first thing she did was check her gummiphone, only to find it was blown up with notifications from Riku. As she scrolled through her recent messages, her stomach started to churn. "Oh no..."

**Riku (6:30 a.m.)** : Hey, where are you? I checked and you weren't at your house.

**Riku (6:30 a.m.):** Naminé too.

**Riku (6:34 a.m.):** Guess you're busy. Text me back when you can.

**Riku (6:50 a.m.):** Kairi.

**Riku (6:50 a.m.):** What is this?

**Riku (6:51 a.m.):** [Sent an image]

[IMG_368]

**Riku (6:52 a.m.):** I found it on the ground. Did you guys actually take the gummiship?!

**Riku (6:52 a.m.):** Come on, don't ignore my texts at a time like this!

**Riku (6:53 a.m.):** Where are you guys? Are you okay?!

**Riku (6:53 a.m.):** KAIRI

[3 missed calls from Riku]

' _Oh no. I feel so bad.'_ Kairi mentally prepared herself before calling Riku back who immediately picked up. "H-Hey Riku, I'm so, so sorry for not answering your texts and...for stealing the gummiship. It was such a hectic day, but we're both okay."

" _That's good to hear. Still pretty pissed off about it though."_

"Yeah...I figured as much."

" _You could've at least told me Kairi instead of doing something so reckless! Sora's already gone and you had me thinking you were too for a while!"_  
  
"I know, I'm sorry. I was such an idiot, you have every right to be mad at me."

He sighed. " _...It's all in the past now I guess. Just let me know when you guys are coming back and we can talk about it together."_

"About that...we're kind of stranded here. The gummiship crashed into this world and we haven't been able to find it."

" _What?! Damn it, you guys just sit tight for now. I'll figure out a way to-"_

"It's fine, Riku. It's not like this world is that dangerous or anything. Besides, I think there might be a lead on where Sora is so I want to stay here as long as I can."

" _You don't know what you're getting into Kairi. I'd feel better if you were home."_

"I know you're worried, but have a little faith in me."

_"I would, it's just that you don't exactly have the best track record."_

"Then this will be my chance to prove myself to you! I'll fight off the darkness in this world, then me and Naminé will come back home safely. Just like Sora would've done...and I'll let you know immediately in case something really bad happens, okay?

_"...Okay Kairi. I have to go, but text me later. Bye."_

"Bye." She ended the call.

"He didn't sound too convinced," Naminé said.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I must've woke you up ...you're right though. I guess I can't blame him for being overprotective, but he's one of my best friends, he should trust me! You still think I can do this...right?"

"Yeah, of course! I'll always believe in you, Kairi! Only you could talk your way into getting enrolled in an elite prep school."

"Thanks, that actually means a lot to me. And that reminds me," She pulled out a hotel receipt from her bag. "First order of business today; show this to the Principal so he'll have no reason not to enroll us!"

Naminé took a closer look at the receipt. "Looks like we only have enough money to stay for the next two nights."

"We'll be fine, I'll look for a job as soon as we get this school situation sorted out."

"I just hope this all works out."

They got ready for the day, then headed to Shujin Academy. Principal Kobayawaka was expecting them as he had already laid out two registration forms on his desk when they came in.

"You girls are very punctual, well do you have the proof of residency?"

"It's right here!" Kairi gave him the receipt.

"A...hotel?"

Sighing, he begrudgingly entered the information into the system while the girls filled out their respective forms. "...There. You two are officially enrolled in Shujin Academy and your first day will be tomorrow." He went through his cabinet and took out two flat boxes. "In here are your uniforms for the summer, winter, and P.E. along with your school bags. Small sizes for both of you I presume?"

"That'll be fine."

"You'll get your student ids issued within the next two days. For now, you should get acquainted with your homeroom teachers, I've printed out a schedule for both of you. Now don't let me regret this decision, remember that you carry the reputation of this school on your shoulders."

"We won't, thank you so much sir!"

They gave each other a high five.

"Don't celebrate just yet," He adjusted his bowtie and proceeded to view the girls as prospective ATM machines. "The school will be sending you a bill in the mail soon for your tuition. As you know, many resources are required to maintain the prestigiousness of Shujin Academy. You understand that, don't you?"

If anything, Kobayawaka at least set the record for the fastest anyone's ever killed the mood before.

"...Yeah," Kairi mumbled, she snuck an annoyed glance to Naminé who nodded in agreement. _'So that's the real reason he's letting us in.'_

"Excellent. With that in mind, I hope you enjoy your time here in Shujin Academy girls."

They carried their new student gear out of the office, not exactly sure what to make of the financial hole they were digging themselves in. "So I guess getting a job is the top priority now. Ugh, this sucks! These uniforms better be cute for everything we did to get them!"

"We'll find out soon enough, but first things first we need to go to the faculty office."

"Right..." Kairi skimmed through the schedule. "Oh- it looks like the homeroom teacher is Ms. Kawakami afterall, sweet! At least we know one teacher's gonna have our backs."

"I think we're in different classes...my homeroom teacher is someone else."

"...Are you serious? So he put us in two different classes even after everything we told him? What a jerk move!"

"I know." She lowered her head. "...Now I have to survive being in a new high school alone."

"It'll be okay Naminé, it'll only be for a couple of hours."

"Easy for you to say. You're a lot better at making friends than me."

"You just need a little more confidence in yourself. I mean, who wouldn't want to be your friend?"

She shrugged. "I guess."

"...Let's just head to the office."

Once they made it to the faculty office, they went their separate ways. Kairi's conversation was pretty short with Kawakami, just a few follow-ups on their living situation and what to expect for the following weeks. She spent most of her time waiting on Naminé and when she did finally return, she came back with a boy by her side.

"Hey Kairi, sorry I took so long."

"Mm-hm...who's he?"

"Oh! This is Ryuji Sakamoto, he's in the same class as me! The reason why I was late was because our homeroom teacher wanted to finish scolding him before he got to me."

For what it was worth, Kairi thought Ryuji was decently attractive, but he was obviously one of those delinquent type boys so she had to wonder why Naminé was even giving him the time of day. She tried looking to Naminé to figure out her thought process but she was giving off 'if-you-say-anything-I'll-hurt-you' vibes, so she played it safe.

"Uh, nice to meet you!"

"'Sup! Hey...wait a sec are you-" His eyes went wide. "No. Effin. Way. You're that baseball bat girl who went viral, yeah?! I'm shittin' myself! I can't believe you actually go here!"

"The what-now?"

"You don't know already?! Then I gotta show you this vid!" He pulled out his phone and showed her a low res video of her beating up the heartless at the subway tunnels. There was some commentary from the guy recording it going 'holy shit' ' holy shiiiiit' over and over again and shaking the camera so much that some parts were hard to see. "Sick, yeah? You're all over social media, they're calling you 'delinquent girl'."

She hung her head down. "I can't believe I went viral over this. That's so embarrassing..."

"Hey, don't feel shy about it! You got some badass moves, 'specially for a chick! It's like something straight outta shounen anime!"

' _So everyone really does think they're regular people. I'm not sure what to think of this.'_

"You good? You're kind of spacin' out on me here."

"Huh? Sorry, my bad. So...you're not intimidated by the whole delinquent thing?"

"No way. From one delinquent to another, I think you're pretty cool."

She smiled. "Thanks, I try...it was Sakamoto-san, right? I totally forgot, my name's Kairi by the way!"

"Nice to meetcha! You don't have to be all formal with me either, Ryuji's fine."

"Same goes for me."

"Anyways, I should prolly get back to class before I get another lecture. Catch you guys later." They almost got fooled into thinking he was an average guy, but right before he went down the hall, he spun around and finger-gunned Naminé. "And I'll see you in class tomorr-oh!" He wasn't looking where he was going and ended up knocking a trash can over.

The girls awkwardly waved him goodbye as he was shoving food wrappers back into the trash.

"See? I knew you'd make a friend, even if that guy seems like trouble," Kairi said.

Naminé remained suspiciously quiet.

She waved her hand over her face. "Naminé?"

"Hm? Sorry! What were you talking about?"

"Oh? Or maybe you want to be more than just friends with him?"

"What? Nonononono- you're _way_ off! My mind's just been on the whole 'delinquent girl' thing non-stop!"

"If you say so. Honestly, it's such an uninspired name."

"How about Sukeban-chan! You got the look, you're just missing the long skirt!"

"I'll keep it in mind when I start my girl gang, but seriously, you don't think this is gonna turn out to be a bad thing later on...do you?"

"I hope not. I'll need more information on this world first before I can say anything definitively. We should still proceed with caution, but it can't be helped this world perceives the heartless as people."

After a short ride back on the subway, they arrived at the hotel and stayed up late trying on their new uniforms.

**Kairi (8:45 p.m.):** Riku, you still up?

**Riku (8:46 p.m.):** 'Course, it's not even that late. How are you guys holding up?

**Kairi (8:46 p.m.):** We're fine. Guess what?

**Riku (8:46 p.m.):** ?

**Kairi (8:47 p.m.):** Me and Naminé just got enrolled in ANOTHER high school! It's like this elite prep school and the uniforms aren't half bad either!

**Riku (8:47 p.m.):** You sure that's the best way to spend your time?

**Kairi (8:48 p.m.):** It's a cover so we don't get harassed by cops. This world's kinda like ours in a way, but for some reason, they don't *see* the heartless or the keyblade.

**Riku (8:48 p.m.)** : Wdym?

**Kairi (8:49 p.m.):** To them, it looks like I'm fighting street thugs with a bat. Any ideas on why that is?

**Riku (8:50 p.m.):** No clue. But if I had to take a guess, there's probably something in that world that's changing everyone's perception of what's actually there.

**Kairi (8:50 p.m.):** Like an illusion?

**Riku (8:51 p.m.):** Don't know yet. Looks like there's a lot more going on in that world than it seems.

**Kairi (8:52 p.m.):** I know, I'll fill you in more details as they come up.

**Kairi (8:52 p.m.):** Look at the time, gn Riku. Gotta get up bright and early tomorrow!

**Riku (8:53 p.m.):** Night. Try to keep up with your studies?

**Kairi (8:53 p.m.):** We'll see about that （−＿−；）

—

The next morning marked Kairi and Naminé's first day as Shujin Academy students. The school seemed more intimidating than ever because now they would have to go through it alone, but Kari was hopeful for what the day would bring and all the new people she would meet. Then, just like that, it only took a few seconds for her high hopes to get shot down because once she stepped through the doors of class 2-D, the students gawked at her like she had two heads.

Kawakami called Kairi over. ' _Who knew a sweet girl like her could be so violent? It's always something with these transfers'_ "Hello, I'd like to introduce a new transfer student to Shujin Academy; Kairi. She's new to this area so please don't be afraid to show her around if she ever looks lost. Now, why don't you say something to the class?"

"Um...H-Hello...it's nice to meet everyone."

"-Damn I can't believe delinquent girl's actually in our class. It's like this school's a magnet for messed up kids," One of the students said amidst the awkward silence, opening the floodgates for more unwanted comments.

"-She's way cuter in person than in the video! That girl can kick my ass any day!"

"-I have a feeling her and Kurusu are gonna be getting along pretty well, dontcha think?"

"Quiet down class, show some respect. Now Kairi-san, why don't you take a seat over there." She pointed to an empty desk beside a blonde girl that reminded her of Naminé, lookswise anyway. "You don't mind sharing your textbook with her for the day, do you Takamaki-san?"

"No problem! I'd be happy too!"

Shuffling her feet to her desk, Kairi set her belongings down, then Ann pushed their desks together. Her smile towards Kairi was so warm and welcoming, a stark contrast to the cold stares she received when she walked in. "Hee hee, I'm Ann Takamaki, Ann's just fine with me though! It's so surreal to actually meet you in person and your name is sooo pretty! Let me guess, you grew up near the ocean?"

"My name gives it all away, huh?"

One of the students snickered. "Heh, 'course the two foreigners get along."

Ann turned her head around so fast and sent the student a glare so sharp it could cut through steel.

"Er, sorry!"

"Don't pay attention to those guys, okay? They always give new students such a hard time." She turned back to the messy-haired student who was sitting behind her. "Right? You should know that better than anyone, Akira."

He nodded. "Uh, yeah."

"Ahem, I hope everyone's paying attention to the lesson. All of this material I'm covering will be on the upcoming quiz," Kawakami said.

"Oops, better actually follow the lecture," Ann said.

A couple of hours into the day and it was already time for lunch. "Hey, why don't you come eat with us for the day, Kairi?" Ann asked.

"Sure, but I'd like to invite a friend too."

"Of course! The more the merrier!"

When the three of them left class, they saw Ryuji and Naminé talking with each other in the hall.

Ann's jaw dropped. "No way, I don't believe it! Is that Ryuji talking to an actual girl?!" She ran up to him. "What's up, Ryuji. Trying your luck on the new girl before the qualified guys swoop her up?"

"Shut up Ann! I wasn't even tryna do anything, we were just talkin' about class and shit. You get me Akira, right? Back me up here bro!"

He adjusted his glasses. "Save some girls for the rest of us."

"Ugh, Akira, don't encourage him!"

Kairi raised an eyebrow at Akira's comment. _'So he's one of THOSE types of guys.'_

"Dude..." Ryuji looked over to Naminé who had her face buried in her hands. "C'mon, you guys are embarrassing her, lay off already!"

"Sure that's not because she's being seen with you?"

"Oh yeah, you're real friggin' hilarious. Man, whatever."

"Anyways, it was Naminé-san, right? You're the other new transfer student I've been hearing all about?" Ann asked.

"Uh-huh, she's my best friend who I was talking about earlier. We go way back," Kairi said.

"Really? I would've taken you guys as sisters at first glance."

"Y-Yeah we're that too! It's complicated..."

"Huh, well it's nice to meet both of you!" Ann smiled at Naminé. "I'm Ann Takamaki, Ann's totally fine though!"

Akira waved to her. "And you can call me Akira."

Naminé slowly lifted her head up to mutter 'hi' to them.

"Akira's a little quiet, but don't worry, he doesn't bite or anything," Ann said

"Think she's more scared of you than him," Ryuji said.

She rolled her eyes at him. "I'm just gonna ignore that. So how about we all go grab a bite already? We don't wanna waste all our time just standing around here."

"Finally, now you're makin' some sense!"

After stopping by the cafeteria, the five of them claimed a table near the vending machines. Naminé still wasn't comfortable being surrounded by so many new people so she quietly picked at her jam bread while Kairi did most of the talking.

"How are you two liking Shujin Academy so far?" Ann asked.

"It feels weird being the center of attention, but I really like it so far," Kairi said. "We've never been to a city before that was this big and with so many people in it!"

"Oh so you guys are from some small town. Bein' here in the big city must be way different," Ryuji said.

Ann clasped her hands together. "I know! We should show you two around Shibuya after school so you can get a feel for the city!" She turned to Ryuji and Akira. "I already know you have nothing going on Ryuji, but what about you?"

"What the- hey! I can be a busy guy too when I wanna be!"

"Riiiight...So how 'bout it Akira?"

"I'm free today." All of a sudden, a black cat popped out of his school bag to add his two cents, or rather meows, into the conversation. "...We should stop by somewhere to eat while we're at it."

"Of course that's what you're worried about..."

Despite being somewhat timid around the others, Morgana's cuteness made Naminé jump out of her seat to caress its soft fur. "Oh my gosh! What a cutie! What's its name?"

"He's Morgana," Akira said.

"Aww, that's a fitting name for such an adorable little guy!" She gushed, pinching its cheeks.

"Mrow! Meow!"

Kairi also joined in, patting him on the head. "Is it just me or does he kind of look like he has an attitude?"

"Tell me about it," Ryuji said.

"So you just carry a cat around everywhere? That's pretty weird," Kairi said.

"You carry a spiked bat around."

"Fair point."

"Speaking of, what gave you the guts to just go out and fight a bunch of bad guys anyway? You weren't scared or anything?" Ann asked.

"Not really, those guys were just small-fry."

Ryuji snickered. " _She_ calls them small-fry."

"In other words, we need to get on her level," Akira said.

"I wouldn't recommend it of course! It's super dangerous for normal people without years of combat experience!"

"And a lust for blood," Naminé jokingly added.

"O-OH!" Ryuji nearly choked on his food. "So that's the type of girl she is...I-I'll try not to piss her off!"

Ann snorted. "Then I have a feeling you'd get along with our friend Makoto! It's always the nice girls who have a bit of a violent streak."

Noticing all the students returning to class, Ann showed her phone to Kairi and Naminé. "It looks like lunch is ending soon. Why don't we all trade numbers before heading back to class?"

"Good idea, but just letting you know ahead of time, Naminé doesn't use her phone much," Kairi said.

She rubbed her hands together. "Oh, we're gonna fix that real quick!"

"Um..."

"You're scarin' her again Ann," Ryuji said.

With their lunch period coming to a close, they returned to class and finished out the rest of the school day. Once class finally ended, the five of them met up outside the school gates, then took the subway to Shibuya.

"There's, like, sooo many things you can do in Shibuya! What stop should we hit up first guys?" Ann asked.

Ryujii pointed to the arcade they were passing by. "We could try hittin' up there."

"That's just what you want to do Ryujii, be a little considerate. I think we should check around all the shops and see if there's any sales going on!"

"Umm isn't that what _you_ want to do too?"

"I have been wanting to check out all the cute clothes..." Kairi mused.

"See? Kairi agrees! How about you Naminé? We could dress you up in something stylish!"

"Uh, I-I'm good...and we're actually tight on money at the moment, so it's probably not the best thing for us to do."

"Sorry...I had no idea."

"How about the movies then? I have a coupon for a buy one get one free ticket and I'll just cover the rest," Akira said.

"Oh no, you don't have to do that for us!"

"It's not a big deal, it's only 3,000 yen. Think of it as a new student gift."

" _Only_ 3,000 yen? Someone's got some money bags around here," Ryuji said.

"Ryuji you're hopeless. There's no price tag to treating a woman," Ann said

Naminé warmly smiled at Akira's kind gesture. "Thank you so much then, I really appreciate it!"

"Yes, thank you. Guess you're not so bad," Kairi said.

Noticing how happy Akira made Naminé, Ryuji felt the sudden need to up his game, worried that Akira would become one of those 'qualified guys' for her. "Ahem! Uh, if you want some popcorn too, I can cover ya Naminé!"

Kairi put her hand on her hip. "Wow, maybe I wanted some popcorn too."

"Well, I mean you guys can always share it."

"Uh-huh, sounds like a bias to me. Or maybe preferential treatment~" She ended her sentence with a smirk that meant knew exactly what she was doing.

Naturally, Ann couldn't miss an opportunity to tease Ryuji so she joined in with Kairi. "I think you're onto something. Wasn't he literally just complaining about how expensive 3,000 yen was?"

"Yep, that's pretty sus if you ask me."

He kicked his foot against the ground. "This is different 'cause I wanted it to be forrrrrrr-" Kairi and Ann were both grinning at him, making him insanely nervous. "F-For everyone! Yep! My bad, I can totally get you some popcorn too Kairi! Or candy or whatever the hell you want!"

"Really? You're so nice! I could go for some pocky right about now."

"Yeah me too! And who could forget the cotton candy," Ann said.

"You're reading my mind right now!"

Ryuji let out a pained groan while Akira patted him on the back. "Oh man...this is gonna set me back so much..."

A couple thousand yen later and they sat down for a post-apocalyptic sci-fi flick starring androids. Akira picked it out, thinking it would be the most entertaining, but everyone was mildly confused the whole time. Except for Naminé, who was fully engrossed in every scene and even crying at parts where the rest of them were drawing blanks.

_["Why do I long for humans like this?! Why do I desire the touch of something that no longer exists?"]_

_["...It always ends like this."]_

The movie had an unusually long run time so by the time they left the theater, the moon was already hanging high in the night sky, surrounded by a million lights that gave Shibuya its vibrancy.

"That was...a lot," Ann said.

"I know. I didn't get any of it, but Naminé sure was into it," Ryuji said.

"How could I not? It was a thorough examination on our existence and the human condition..." However, the more she tried to explain, the more confused Ryuji looked so she just gave up and let out a defeated sigh. "...Nevermind."

He shrugged. "I um...liked all the hot robot girls?"

"The fights were great too," Akira said.

"...That's what you guys took out of it?"

While Shibuya was a city that never slept, the same couldn't be said for them. After all, they were high school students and sleep was a valuable resource for them. With the hour running late, they decided to grab a quick bite to eat at Big Bang Burger to finish off their day. However, on their way to the restaurant, they walked past a bakery shop that immediately attracted Ann.

Ann pressed her hands on the glass, her mouth-watering at all the baked delights the store offered. "Hey-hey! This is the new bakery shop that opened! I _have_ to go check it out!"

"But you just ate a whole bunch of crap at the movies!" Ryuji said.

"It'll be quick, I promise. I just wanna see what they have."

"Ughhhhh. Fiiiine. As long as I'm not payin' for anymore shit."

Pushing the doors wide open, Ann excitedly went inside only for her appetite to be ruined when she saw that one of the patrons was prince detective himself; Goro Akechi.

"Oh great, of course Akechi's here," Ann groaned.

True to his name, he was a dashing young man who went to great lengths to kept himself looking presentable on and off the television screen.

"Why hello, what a coincidence that our paths cross so often," Akechi approached them, his attention on Akira at first, then his eyes drew to Kairi when he recognized her. "Ah, and you're the delinquent girl I keep hearing about. It's a pleasure to meet you, my name is Goro Akechi, yours...?"

Kairi couldn't help but feel a little nervous that someone like him was talking to her. "I'm Kairi...what's your name? Wait, you already said that, sorry ha...ha..."

"No worries. Kairi-san then? I have to say, I'm quite impressed by your bravery...although I do find the whole situation to be a bit strange. Even convenient."

"What do you mean?"

"It's just odd to me that a bunch of thugs somehow managed to get access to the underground subway tunnels. It's a ridiculous place to rob people if that was their intention, my theory as to why is mere speculation but- ah never mind. I wouldn't want to bore you with the details, besides, I've learned not to jump the gun with my accusations."

"At least you finally admit no one wants to hear your crap," Ryuji said.

"That was rather harsh, though I've come to expect that from you by now. There's actually been a rise in these gang-related crimes as of late, it sounds like a job for the Phantom Thieves to handle since they're all anyone ever believes in these days."

"What're you telling us this for?"

"No reason in particular, I was simply speaking out loud, but wouldn't you agree? To an average citizen, it would seem like the Phantom Thieves are slipping if there's been an _increase_ in crime."

"How is it their fault that the cops suck at their own job?"

Hearing them go back and forth made the wheels turn in Kairi's head. She realized there was an opportunity to get more information on the group they were seeking out. "Wait, so...let me get this straight. Are the Phantom Thieves a vigilante group?"

"Precisely. They take the law into their own hands and target whoever they deem to be criminals."

"When you say it like that you're just making them out to be a bunch of bad guys," Ryuji said

"He's just mad no one takes him seriously anymore," Ann said.

"Pursuing justice isn't a mere popularity contest, but my words would only fall on deaf ears for you two. Kairi-san, may I ask what you're so curious about them for?"

"Um, reasons."

"Any in particular? I know quite a bit about them myself."

Naminé put her hand on Kairi's shoulder, there was something about Akechi's mannerisms that made her distrustful of him. Maybe because she was so used to being around deceptive people for the better half of her life that she could easily pick out who the wolves in sheep's clothing were. "You're asking a lot of questions for someone you just met."

"Well I am a detective, a rookie, but my deduction skills are second to none. Asking a lot of questions comes with the territory and the Phantom Thieves are a particular interest for me." He checked his phone. "But in any case, I should get going now. I have other business to attend to."

Stopping at the entrance, Akechi turned back to meet with the rest of the group. His glare was so intense and yet the only thing he said to them was; "Oh- and I'd highly recommend the strawberry crepes. They're quite delicious!"

Ann shook her head. "That Akechi always puts such a bad taste in my mouth."

"So ...why are you guys interested in the Phantom Thieves for?" Ryuji asked.

Ann elbowed him in the arm. "Mind your own business!"

"It's fine, I just didn't want to tell him anything. We're actually in the middle of trying to figure out what the Phantom Thieves are exactly because we think they might be able to help us out in some way," Kairi said.

"If it's a problem you have then they can definitely help you out with that!" Ann took her phone and showed them a website with a slick black and red design. "Try sending out a request using the Phan-Site, that way they can see it for themselves."

"Okay, cool! We'll check it out later on tonight. Alright, so is everyone still up for trying some of their crepes?"

"—AAAAHHHH! HELP! SOMEONE CALL THE POLICE!"

"—HEEEELP!"

"Or...maybe not."

They ran out of the store to see what all the commotion was about and sure enough, there were dozens of heartless wrecking havoc. At least that's what Kairi and Naminé saw, but to everyone else, it looked like a war was breaking out between two rival gangs. Mobs of people were fleeing for their lives and the wailing of police sirens was drawing ever near.

Instead of running, Kairi summoned her keyblade. "You guys hold on a sec while I take care of them."

"Wha- Kairi are you crazy?! That's way too dangerous. The police are coming soon, just let them handle this," Ann said.

"Yeah, listen to what she's sayin', this is some Yakuza type shit! There's being brave, then there's just being plain stupid."

"Right, he knows that more than anyone!"

Akira stepped in front of her. "It's too dangerous."

"Not for me. Just sit back and watch!" Throwing her school bag on the ground, she charged into battle.

"Don't worry about her, she'll be fine." There was a confident smile on Naminé's face that slightly eased the worries of Akira and the others.

The 'rival gang members' in question was nothing more than a few Earth and Water Core heartless leveling the city streets. A couple of Fira spells made quick work of the Water Core heartless, but the earth variant would take a little more heavy lifting on her part. Knowing full well that hundreds of eyes and phone cameras were on her, Kairi made sure to look as stylish as possible while she mopped the floor with the heartless.

A few keyblade twirls there, throw in some fancy footwork and wave to some cameras was all Kairi needed to do to make the crowd go nuts for her. Even Ryuji and Akira were recording Kairi, although their intentions for doing so were questionable at best

"Ah, damn it! My phone just died! How are you holding up Akira?"

"She's going too fast for me to pick up anything."

Ryuji huddled over Akira's phone. "Hold up, zoom in right there! That angle's pretty-" Just as they were about to get a close up on Kairi, Ann and Naminé stepped in front of the camera with their arms crossed.

"Watch it. Or do you two wanna end up like those guys?" Ann gestured to the pile of bodies that was quickly surrounding Kairi.

The boys shared panicked expressions on their faces as they imagined themselves being on the receiving end of Kairi's spiked bat, so Akira put his phone away for safe measure.

"I-It'll all be on social media anyways, no harm done," Ryuji said.

Kairi ended the fight with a bang, using her flashy shotlock to obliterate the remaining heartless and flood the streets of Shibuya in blinding, white light. Purposely using it as a cover to slip back to her friends and avoid the hundreds of people that would've crowded around her otherwise.

"You're a one-woman army," Akira said.

Ryuji couldn't contain his excitement anymore and hopped around in place. "Holy shiiiiit! That was SO awesome! I can't believe you were carrying around molotov cocktails and flash bombs like a friggin' action hero!"

"I know right? Our girl's loaded," Ann said.

"It really wasn't that big of a deal."

"Are you kidding? That was insane! You totally stole the show tonight!"

A blush was creeping up Kairi's cheeks, she wasn't used to being the one praised for saving the day so it was a nice change of pace, but it made the conents of what they were actually saying go way over her head. Naminé, on the other hand, was none the wiser and started to grow concerned. ' _This is quickly going to spiral out of control.'_

After navigating through hundreds of people, the group made it to the subway station where they exchanged their goodbyes. Once Akira and the others left, Kairi turned to Naminé, worried. "What's wrong? You've been looking tense ever since I fought those heartless."

"...Let's head back to the hotel first."

Fortunately, their hotel wasn't too far from the station, they made it back to their room in one piece and Kairi plopped down on her bed with her arms stretched out. "Why does this cheap mattress suddenly feel like the softest thing in the world!"

Naminé eased down into a chair herself, taking out her sketchbook. "I think it's safe to say we can forget about keeping a low profile. There's no way you're not gonna be on the news after this."

"Then it's a good thing I showed off for everyone! I hope my hair wasn't a mess or anything."

She couldn't help but laugh at how laidback Kairi was. "No, you looked great as always! I'm glad you don't seem to be worried about the possibility of the police pursuing you as much as I am."

Kairi propped her arm on the bed. "So that's what's been up? I mean, they have to understand that I'm just trying to help everyone, even if I'm not going by the book."

"Actually that's what I'm afraid of. I don't think they'll let you off that easily."

"...Why's that?"

"Remember what I said yesterday, about how I need more information on this world? Well, our conversation with Akechi helped me realize that this world is corrupt. Even if their methods are debatable, the Phantom Thieves are responding to crime where the police have failed to, so there's something wrong with the current system in place."

"That was a lot of smart things you said..."

"I do pay attention in class sometimes, but you get what I'm saying right?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Maybe there's some higher up with darkness in their hearts whose controlling everyone, that's usually how it is with these worlds...Hold on a minute- you think they're the reason why no one can see the heartless?!"

"It's a possibility."

"If someone's that powerful they could know something about Sora too! Ugh, we just don't know enough about this place yet!"

"Bet the Phantom Thieves do! If they're truly invested in taking down criminals then we'll definitely need their help going forward. Let's look into the 'Phan-Site' and see what information we can gather."

"Sure, can we use your phone though? Mine's charging up."

"Mm-hm, no problem." Naminé fished her gummiphone out from her school bag, then sat down on the bed next to Kairi.

"Whoa, you haven't updated your phone in ages. It's a wonder that thing still works."

"I already like the current layout so I haven't changed it. Anyways, let's see what's this Phan-site's all about..." She found the website and went to their about page. "Okay...so it looks like the Phantom Thieves just need a name, a specific problem and they'll steal their hearts."

"Cool! Then that puts us back to square one!"

The girls both sighed.

"...we're way in over our heads, aren't we?"

*beep-beep

"That's you," Kairi said.

Naminé was surprised that she was the one to receive a text message, especially this late at night, but when she realized it was from Ryuji she freaked the hell out. "Oh my god! H-He texted me?!" She threw her phone across the hotel around and it slammed against the wall, thankfully gummiphones were durable so it didn't shatter.

"You're a mess..." Kairi went to retrieve Naminé's phone, taking a cursory glance at her messages. "Woooow! He moves fast, he says he wants to take you out on a date. OooOoOh~"

"WHAT? N-N-No way! We _just_ met- I barely know him! I'm not emotionally prepared for this!"

"I'm kidding, he just asked if we made it home safe." She dropped the phone in her lap, then poked her on the forehead. "But I knew you liked him! You're so easy to read!"

Naminé hid her face behind her sketchbook to hide how red in the face she was turning. "...Th...That's not true at all. You don't know what you're talking about!"

"Aw, you don't need to get so flustered about it! I think you'd guys would make such a cute couple...mostly because you'd make any couple you're in cute!"

"Thanks, but...I'm no one special."

Kairi lowered the sketchbook into her lap. "Don't sell yourself so short! You're pretty, a great artist, and you're super kind! Ryuji's um...well anyways, my point is, he's the one who has to prove himself to you."

"You really mean all of that?"

"Every word!"

She shook her head. "Still, it doesn't matter how I feel about him, we'll eventually leave this world behind. There's no use in getting attached to anyone here."

Kairi didn't know what to say at first. She was right. Sooner or later, they would no longer be in Shibuya City and Naminé was already bad at communicating with her closest friends so anything long distance was bound to fall apart. Still, Kairi was ever the optimist, she held onto her hands and squeezed them, just like she always did for her. "You shouldn't let that stop you from enjoying yourself! Stop listening to your head so much and just follow your heart."

"...I'll try." She gave her a weak smile. "You sound a lot like Sora."

"Really? That...makes me feel good. So you gonna text Ryuji back anytime soon?"

"Nope!"

"..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sukeban were JP girl gangs in the 70's

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading :D


End file.
